File-cabinet.



No. 701,000. v Patented May 27, i902.

C. F. W. AHRENS.

FILE CABINET.

(Application filed July 31, 1901.)

(No Model.)

lNvENTOR.

WITNESSES @LQ/MEW l Aor sheets of UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL F. W. AHRENS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

FILE-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,000, dated May 27, 1902.

Application led July 31, 1901. Serial No.

To alt' whom it may concer/t:

Be it known that I, CARL F. W. AHRENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful File-Cabinet, of which the following is a speciiication. f

My invention has for its object to furnish a cabinet of the class commonly known as tile-cabinets which shall be adapted for the filing away and the temporary or permanent preservation of letters,documents,music,dac., where it is required that letters, documents, music be preserved chronologically, alphabetically, or otherwise in such a manner that they may be easily found at any time and as easily replaced, the special features of advantage of my novel cabinetl being that it provides for convenientclassification and in such a manner that a document may be either found or replaced in an instants time, and, most important of all, that it is so simple and economical in construction as to place file-cabinet which attractive in apwithin the reach of all a may be made exceedingly pearance and will be just as good for all practical purposes as the more expensive iilecabinets now upon the market.

With these ends in viewI have devised the simple and novel file-cabinet of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a 'specificatiom reference characters being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a simple form of my novel cabinet without doors and for convenience in' illustration, showing a limited number of rests and portfolios; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2 2 in Fig. l; Fig. 3, a detail perspective on a large scale, illustrating one form of rest and the mode of its attachment to the side piece of the cabinet.

denotes my novel cabinet as a whole, which may be made of wood, pasteboard, or any suitable material and of any required shape, size, and style of ornamentation and with or without doors.

l5 denotes portfolios, holders, binders, or illes for letters, documents, sheets of music, 0r anythingr of a like nature that may be required to be preserved for yreference or use,

l and C denotes adapted to engage the side pieces of the cabi- 7 0,377. (No model.)

removable metallic rests net and to support the portfolios, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The special structure of the portfolios, holders, binders, or other devices tocontain letters, documents, or music is not of the essence of my invention, it being simply required that the portfolio or other` device be suiiiciently rigid to be self-sustaining Without sagging when are supported by the rests. I preferably use a portfolio or other device consisting, essentially, of two side pieces 20, which may be made of pasteboard, wood,for other material of suitable lightness and rigidity.

22 denotes the side pieces of the cabinet. rIfhese side pieces and the rests are made mutually interdependent-that is to say, the side pieces are so prepared as to adapt them to receive and retain the rests-and the rests, which consist simply of strips of sheet metal', are provided with attaching devices to adapt them to engage the side pieces and be self-retaining therein, it being required that the rests, while being readily removable from lthe side pieces, shall be perfectlyfirm and self-retaining therein, and, furthermore, that they be retained against longitudinal sliding movement. I therefore so construct and adapt the corresponding parts upon the rests and side pieces that the rests will engage with a downward and outward movement and be removable only by an upward and inward movement.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I have shown the rests as provided with oblique downwardly-extending flanges 23, which engage oblique upwardly-extending kerfs or channels 24 in the side pieces. It will be readily understood from Fig. 2, in connection with Figs. 1 and 3, that the rests may be readily placed in en- 6o its ends or edges pieces, but are closed at 'the ends, as at 25,

so that the rests cannot be moved longitudinally by insertion or removal of the portfolios. In practice there is no tendency to- ICO 2 'ronces ward upward movement of the rests, and they' outward from the upper edges of the inclined 3o are locked against downward movement and attaching devices. y against outwardl movement laterally by the 2. In a device of the character described inclination of the corresponding flanges and the combination with side pieces having up- 5 kerfs' or other attaching devices. y wardly-inclined oblique kerfs closed at the.

The operation of my novel file-cabinet will ends, of rests for portfolios comprising down- 35 'be perfectly obvious from the description alwardly-inclined flanges adapted to engage ready given and can hardly require detailed the kerfs and removable only with an upexplanation. Any number of portfolios and ward and outward movement, and horizontal Io corresponding rests therefor maybe used, flanges extending directly outwardfrom the and letters, documents, or pieces of music y upper edges of the inclined ianges. 4,@ maybe `classified alphabetically or chrono" 3. Ina device of the character described logically by the day, week, month, or year. the combinationv with side pieces having up- The rests may be removed and replaced at Wardly-inclined oblique kerfs closed at the 15 the convenience ot the user to provide for ends, of rests for portfolios comprising downmoreor less space between the portfolios. wardly-inclned fianges adapted toengage 45 No shelves are used,the portfolios themselves the kerfs and removable only with an upbeing made to iit'the cabinet with a loose fit, ward and outward movement, and horizontal so that they will pass 1n and out easily, but flanges extending directly outward from the 2o at the same time be firmly supported by the upper edges of the inclined flanges, and rigid 2 5 the combination vwith side pieces having inrests. portfolios adapted' to` rest on'the horizontal 5o Having thus described my invention, l anges. y

claim- In testimony whereof laiiix my signature 1. In a device of the character described, in presencey of two witnesses. v

clined oblique kerfs, of yrests, for portfolios CARL I" W' AHRENS' comprising downwardly-inclined attaching Witnesses;y

1 devcesadapted to engage theke'rfsand hori-H A. M. WoosrER, zonta'l supporting-armsextending directly EFFIE FICKEN. 

